Who Gives This
by Darthishtar
Summary: Just before Han and Leia's wedding, Luke has a few things to say.


WHO GIVES THIS  
By Kathryn Olsen  
  
"Fifteen hours," Leia said in wonderment.  
  
She turned a wry grin on Han. "Think you can wait that long, flyboy?"  
  
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled his best sabacc face. "It will be pure   
torture," he admitted, "but I think we can handle it."  
  
Her eyes crinkled in amusement. "That's what I thought."  
  
"What are your plans for the rest of the night?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "A few of my friends are convinced that I should have one last  
wild night, or whatever passes for it in government, before I get 'entrapped.'"  
  
He bent down to brush his lips against hers briefly. "And they think being married to  
me won't qualify as wild nights?"  
  
She blushed. "Touche," she said quietly. "And you?"  
  
"A wild night with Luke and Wedge," he said wryly. "Probably not half as exciting as  
yours will be."  
  
She laughed. "You've obviously never been to any Rogue Squadron parties."  
  
"Yes, but this time, Luke is under direct orders from General Rieekan to keep me sober.  
If I show up at the wedding with a hangover, Luke's getting court-martialed."  
  
"Rieekan always did have a soft spot for you," she commented. "Still, it's Coruscant.  
The most civilized world in the known Galaxy. You'll find something to keep you entertained."  
  
"Luke is going to wear me out, then lecture me. Probably on how to 'handle' you."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Luke means well. He doesn't want to see me hurt."  
  
Han pulled her into an embrace. "He doesn't have anything to worry about."  
  
"Besides," she interjected. "He's going to come over and talk to me first."  
  
"Ah," he said. "What time?"  
  
"0900."  
  
"He'll be at my place at 0945."  
  
She brushed a strand of hair from her face and smiled. "In that case, I think we'd   
both better get going on our last night of freedom."  
  
He bent down and kissed her gently. "That should hold you over until tomorrow."  
  
She shook her head and reached up a hand to cup his cheek. She smiled slightly and  
stretched up for a lingering kiss. "That'll be to fuel our dreams."  
  
"No need," he said quietly, kissing her one more time.  
  
She blushed and ducked out of his embrace. "We'd better leave it here or we won't want  
to stop."  
  
He winked. "Who wants to stop?"  
  
She caught his fingertips and kissed his cheek. "You'll be in my dreams."  
  
"And you in mine."  
* * *  
Leia pulled off her long-sleeved blue tunic and tan slacks, tossing them onto the bed.  
She pulled on a long red gown that left one shoulder and an entire arm bare. She slipped her  
bare feet into low-heeled black dress shoes and settled them in.  
  
Her hair she unfastened from its intricate coil of braids and untangled it. Gathering  
two strands on either side of her head, she braided them together and fastened them with silver  
clips. The rest she let fall in soft waves.  
  
The anunciator chimed, causing her to jump involuntarily. She pulled on a light jacket  
and palmed open the door.  
  
Winter looked up and smiled. "Ready to go?"  
  
Leia nodded and retrieved her identification cards and passkey. "Where are the others?"  
  
"Meeting us at the 23rd Hour."  
  
Leia smiled slightly. The most popular restaurant on Coruscant and her favorite spot  
in Imperial City.  
  
"You actually got reservations?"  
  
"Unknown to you, we called for them as soon as your communique from Dathomir came through.  
We have the southeast private room."  
  
"That still doesn't explain how you fit a five-month waiting list into a six-week space."  
  
Winter winced. "We pulled rank."  
  
Leia folded her arms, squinting suspiciously. "Whose?"  
  
"Yours. We said we were calling on behalf of the royal family of Alderaan for an urgent  
reservation. We also applied an ample bribe."  
  
Leia closed the door behind her and grinned. "I knew you were my favorite aide for  
something. Lead on."  
  
Fifteen minutes and a cab later, they arrived at the private docking port of the restaurant.  
Leia pushed her way through the throng of holoshills and ducked into the entrance.  
  
"Always running away from your problems," Mon Mothma said wryly.  
  
Leia moved her hair behind her shoulders and smoothed her gown. "I just don't want  
any more publicity. I've been holographed and interviewed and subjected to every rumor imaginable  
in the last six weeks." She removed her jacket and handed it to a droid. "I just want a night  
to ourselves without it ending up on the evening newsfeed."  
  
"We can supply that," Lisa assured her.  
  
"What's your intended doing tonight? No doubt some raucous party."  
  
Leia rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately for him, a certain Jedi Knight has been assigned  
to peace-keeping. A few drinks, a good five hours of swapping stories and trying to convince  
him not to go through with it on Wedge's part..."  
  
"He wouldn't dare," Winter countered.  
  
"Your Highness, Madames," the majordomo interjected. "If you will follow me, I will  
show you to your room."  
  
Leia adopted her most regal posture and followed him to a small circular room overlooking  
the Palace district. The Palace, its towers illuminated by interior lights, towered in the  
distance.  
  
The table was centered in a sunken pit around which four chairs were installed. The  
room was enclosed completely in transparisteel and revolved on an axis, allowing them varying  
views of the cityscape.  
  
"I trust this is satisfactory for Your Highness," he inquired.  
  
"Most satisfactory, thank you."  
  
As soon as he left, Leia slumped into a chair. "Maybe we should have been commoners.  
It would save us the annoyance of the grovelling part."  
  
Mon Mothma sat across from her. "I never thought when we formed the Alliance that our  
faces would inspire anything but hatred."  
  
Leia nodded. "Of course, that was before we won." She gestured around the room. "My  
family used to come to this room every time we visited my father during the Senate terms. When  
I left to retrieve the Death Star plans, I thought I'd never see it again. I think there are  
a lot of things we didn't count on."  
  
"Especially marriage," Mon Mothma teased gently.  
  
Lisa snorted gently. "Obviously, she's not familiar with your history, Leia."  
  
Leia scowled at her. "Now, who are you referring to? Andros, Denid, or Isolder?"  
  
"All three," Lisa said wryly. "Let's see. Andros was the heir to the throne of a  
neighboring sovereignty. They were engaged for three weeks before Leia discovered that he was  
planning to institute martial law after the wedding and surrender Alderaan to Imperial rule."  
  
"So you broke it off."  
  
Leia winced. "A mild understatement. I confronted him on the matter..."  
  
"With a blaster against his forehead," Winter giggled.  
  
"And I told him to shove off or be killed off. He tried citing the marriage treaty and  
saying he'd take me to the courts. Then he tried to make advances on me, so I shot him in the  
foot and told him to take that to court. Absolutely furious, he broke off the engagement.  
I told him to get out and, pointing to the sovereignty's Minister of State, said, 'You and the  
bantha you rode in on.' It was a huge scandal."  
  
"Denid," Winter interjected, "was an exiled heir-apparent who had fled his homeworld  
and crashed. He decided to retake the government, with Leia posing as his fiance, a friend of  
hers from Alderaan. As soon as he was reinstated to his throne, he announced that they'd be  
getting married. Leia was objectionable to this, but he went after her again just after Endor.  
She threw him off once and for all."  
  
Leia nodded. "And you know about Isolder."  
  
Mon Mothma shook her head in wonderment. "Well, and I thought I had an exciting life."  
  
"At least the first three didn't shoot you, kidnap you, or get you stranded on an Imperial-  
held world with a few hundred Dark-siders."  
  
"I know," Leia said with a grin. "Maybe that's where they went wrong."  
  
"I understand Isolder's coming to the wedding."  
  
"With his wife," Leia confirmed.  
  
Winter held up a hand as the waiter entered with their food and they remained silent  
until he left.  
  
"It's been an adventurous few years, I must say."  
  
Leia nodded. "I wouldn't trade it for anything else, though. And Han knows that."  
  
She looked up. "So, what's on for the rest of the night?"  
  
"We actually found a brecht'ialtin. She'll be expecting us in an hour."  
  
Leia's hand shot out to Winter's arm. "You're kidding."  
  
Mon Mothma frowned. "Am I missing something?"  
  
Leia turned to her. "A brecht'ialtin on Alderaan was a highly regarded person. Every  
bride would go to her the night before her wedding for her blessings and advice. It's almost  
impossible to find one anymore."  
  
Winter smiled and raised her glass. "Anything for a princess."  
* * *  
Leia awoke in the morning to blinding sunlight. A quick look at her chrono confirmed  
that it was 0800. She stood and stretched, working out an ache in her shoulder. She pulled  
a robe around her small form and headed for the refresher.  
  
She had just finished preparing breakfast when the anunciator rang. She crossed to  
the door and palmed it open.  
  
Luke embraced her tightly, then stepped past her into the apartment. "When do you  
start getting ready?"  
  
She crossed to the kitchen and retrieved two plates of food. Handing one to him, she  
settled herself into a self-conforming chair. "In about thirty minutes, Winter and Lisa will   
be here."  
  
"That'll be fine."  
  
She gestured to his food. "I can't imagine that you'll be able to successfully lecture  
me on an empty stomach."  
  
Luke grinned. "Touche."  
  
She stuck a piece of meat in her mouth. "How's the bridegroom?"  
  
"Probably asleep. We kept him fairly sober last night, but he needs his beauty rest."  
  
"Glad to hear it," she said wryly.  
  
He looked up. "And you? How are you holding up?"  
  
She chewed thoughtfully. "I'm excited. I'm past the nervous stage and on to the oblivious.  
Half the Senate could get assassinated and I'd probably put it on my 'handle in two weeks'   
list."  
  
Luke laughed. "I'll keep that in mind." He frowned. "You're wishing Bail could be  
here."  
  
She nodded, her throat constricting. "I never thought I'd have to lose so much in  
the process of gaining the one person I could love the most."  
  
"I know," he said quietly.  
  
She reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek. "I trusted him with everything. Any  
question, any comment. I think I took for granted that he may not live to approve of my choice  
in a husband, to see his grandchildren."  
  
Luke reached across to take her hand and gazed down at it, running his thumb across  
the ridge of her small hand. "I know it may sound trite, but he'll be there in spirit if not   
in form."  
  
"I know," she whispered. She squeezed his hand. "I don't know who had it worse."  
  
Luke nodded. "I was used to being an orphan until I fought Vader. You were orphaned,  
then found that your worst enemy was your father. Either way, it's not much of a joyous reunion."  
  
She smiled. "It doesn't much matter now, does it?"  
  
He nodded. "I have all the family I need. Han, you, the walking carpet..."  
  
She laughed. "Of course."  
  
He looked up. "I saw Winter on the way here. She says you went to a brecht'ialtin  
last night. What did she say?"  
  
Leia winced. "She blessed me with the traditional things--prosperity, posterity, and  
providence. She said that it would be a long time before either my soul or my surroundings  
would be at peace, but that I must not let my pride or the influence of my past interfere with  
the love that I was meant to find."  
  
Luke's brow furrowed. "Are you sure these brecht'ialtin aren't Jedi?"  
  
Leia smiled. "Some thought that the brecht'ialtin were sorceresses, others thought  
they were sorts of prophets; most regarded them with bemused superstition. My family viewed  
them as a noble tradition."  
  
"Indeed." His face relaxed."All right, here goes."  
  
She arched an eyebrow bemusedly. "The lecture?"  
  
"The lecture," he confirmed.  
  
He set the plate on a nearby table and leaned forward. "About seven years ago, I  
saw a holorecording of a damsel in distress. I had the overwhelming need to protect her, to  
rescue her. I had no idea why. I chalked it up to how beautiful you were, what a farmboy I   
was, anything I could think of.  
  
"If someone had told me the story behind you and what this would become, I would never  
have believed it. Even when I became your friend, I never doubted that you would find your  
own way.  
  
"That's why you and Han are so perfect for each other; you're both so strong on your  
own, but you reach out to others to complete yourselves. I was once told that we are born  
lacking and that's why we come into this world crying. I don't know how the Force applies to  
that, but I know that from this day forward, you will never have to carry life's burden alone.  
Han is the missing parts that will make you complete and you are the same for him.  
  
"Whatever you do, don't doubt yourself or him. That you met is incredible; that you  
became friends, uncanny; that you fell in love, inevitable."  
  
Leia smiled and broke her grip on his hand to swipe at her eyes. "I like that."  
  
He reached forward and touched her cheek, then drew her into an embrace. "Sweet Leia,  
I've been waiting for this from the day I met you. Today, I'll finally get to see you truly  
happy."  
* * *  
"Took you long enough."  
  
Luke stepped into Han's apartment. "Despite common belief, Jedi cannot fly without  
repulsor vehicles. As such, I had to deal with commonplace traffic."  
  
Han pulled at his dress uniform collar with a scowl. "How's Leia?"  
  
Luke grinned. "Beautiful, but you knew that."  
  
"Right."  
  
Han gestured to a chair. "I need to be leaving fairly soon and you need to get changed."  
  
"It'll only take a short time."  
  
Luke settled into the chair and smiled. "I knew you two were in love long before either  
of you probably realized it. Even while I loved her, I knew that there was something on a deeper  
level that would always connect you two."  
  
"Stubborness?"  
  
Luke laughed easily. "In a way. I told Leia you were meant for each other because   
of your strong, independent spirits. She has the temperate, diplomatic half of strength. You  
have the aggressive, emphatic half. Apart, you cannot be happy; together, you are perfect."  
  
He looked down. "During the wedding, she will be given away. General Rieekan, as the  
closest thing she has to a father, will be giving her to you in the temporal sense. As her  
brother, I have no power over that.  
  
"Until now, the greatest joy in my life was to know that Leia was my sister. Now, it  
is my greatest joy to entrust her spirit and well-being to you."  
  
He smiled slightly. "I ask nothing of you, except to protect her with every fiber of  
your being. If you ever hurt her..."  
  
Han nodded. "I'd rather kill myself first."  
  
Luke sobered. "I was hoping you'd say that."  
* * *  
Leia paced back and forth, holding up the long train of her white, satin brocaded dress  
to avoid tripping over it. "It's nearly time. Where exactly *is* Luke?"  
  
Winter smiled and adjusted her veil to drape more evenly across the thick braid hanging  
down her back. "We tried his apartment, Han's apartment, his private commlink. We may have   
to start without him."  
  
"He's the best man," Leia snapped. "And he's my brother. We shouldn't start without  
him."  
  
The doors open and everyone turned to gaze at the visitor. "General," Leia said, nodding  
to General Rieekan.  
  
The General crossed to her and, taking her hands, kissed her cheek. "I just talked to  
the best man. There's been a slight delay."  
  
Leia sagged. "What now?"  
  
Rieekan grimaced. "Have you ever heard of the Aldereenian Consulate?"  
  
Leia snorted. "No. Why?"  
  
"Apparently, there was a miscommunication and Luke was taken there instead. It's about  
250 kilometers from here. He'll be here as soon as he can, but he'll be another ten minutes.  
  
"He wants us to start without him."  
  
Leia sunk into a chair and buried her face in her hands. "I knew I couldn't even get  
married without complications."  
  
Rieekan laughed and offered her a hand. "Han's waiting. I suggest we get started."  
  
Leia stood and took his hand. "Agreed."  
  
He guided her to the doors of the White Room and they lined up, Winter and Lisa preceding  
them. At an unspoken signal, the doors opened and Winter and Lisa started down the long aisle  
to the altar.  
  
"You ready," Rieekan whispered.  
  
Leia glanced over and smiled. "As ever."  
  
The music built to a climax and they started towards the front of the room. Every eye  
in the place was on her, but she only noticed one set.  
  
Han stiffened as if in drawing in a sharp breath; then his features softened into the  
familiar lopsided grin that she loved so well. She felt a smile come unbidden to her face as  
they reached the front.  
  
Rieekan lifted her veil to kiss her cheek once more, then let it drop and placed her  
hands in Han's. He stepped to the side and they knelt across the altar.  
  
"We are gathered here to witness the marriage of two kindred spirits. I know there  
are many in this room who doubted whether they would ever see this day. Those of us who truly  
understand them never doubted for a minute."  
  
Mon Mothma turned to General Rieekan. "Who gives this woman in marriage?"  
  
Rieekan stepped forward and raised his chin. "I do,"  
  
Leia barely heard Mon Mothma's words as she began the traditional ceremony. She calmed  
her breath, focused her energy. Han sensed her relaxation and sent her a covert wink before   
squeezing her fingertips.  
  
Leia examined his familiar features, memories arising in her mind. Her first encounter  
with him on the Death Star, establishing their common practice of arguing. The night, just  
after the Battle of Yavin, when he'd sat by her bedside and talked long into the night until  
she could finally fall into peaceful sleep. The look of heart-felt terror on his face after   
their run-in with the bounty hunter on Ord Mantell. The broad grin on his face just before  
their first kiss on the way to Bespin. The calm assurance on his face as he descended into  
the carbon-freezing chamber. The look of pure joy on his face as her face became the first  
thing he saw after recovering from hibernation sickness. Once again, the wry grin on his face  
as he finally admitted that he loved her.  
  
The words came as readily as the images. Endless recollection of their playful bantering,  
of the more solemn moments. The love as well as the hate. The perfume as well as the venom.  
She was suddenly extraordinarily sorry for every harsh word that they'd exchanged, but knew  
that it had shaped their relationship as much as the rare tenderness.  
  
The doors at the rear opened and she turned her head to see Luke stepping tentatively  
in. She smiled in utter relief. *He made it.*  
  
Mon Mothma paused long enough to allow him to make his way to the front of the room,  
then turned to her. "Princess Leia Organa, do you commit to take this man into the bonds of  
marriage, to love and cherish, honor and protect, and to carry the burden of life alongside  
him for as long as love and life endures?"  
  
In a voice thick with emotion, she declared, "I do."  
  
Han's grin spread to the boundaries of his face as the vows were repeated. His grip  
on her hands tightened to an almost unbearable pressure.  
  
"I do."  
  
Luke stepped forward and handed the rings to Han. Han handed one to her and slid the  
other onto her finger. She placed his ring on his finger and returned to the two-handed grip.  
  
"Then by the power invested in me by the government of the New Republic, I pronounce  
you husband and wife." Mon Mothma gestured to them both. "You may kiss the bride."  
  
Han lifted the veil from her face and cupped her face in her hands. He gazed directly  
into her eyes for a moment, then drew her in for a deep, passionate, lingering kiss.  
  
She pulled away eventually, her face streaked with tears. "So, how do you like married  
life?"  
  
He grinned. "It's the best experience I've ever had."  
  
She laughed and stood. "Glad to hear that."  
* * *  
Leia pulled off her shoes and flexed her feet. "I haven't been this tired since Endor."  
  
"Both well worth it," Han countered. He took her foot and began massaging it. "All  
right, on to the gifts."  
  
"They can wait a couple of weeks," she assured him. "I, for one, am eager to get far  
off-planet. Think you can arrange that?"  
  
He grinned. "Meet me back here in twenty minutes and I'll do anything you want."  
  
She smiled. "Promise?"  
  
Luke stood. "I think that's my cue to leave."  
  
Leia laughed and caught his hand. "Finally, we taught him some common sense."  
  
He bent down and kissed her cheek gently. "Always remember what I told you."  
  
She nodded. "Incredible, uncanny, inevitable."  
  
He smiled. "Right. As for you," he said, turning to Han, "I give her to your keeping.  
Take good care of my girl."  
  
"Always." 


End file.
